A Wounded Hero
by arias asriel
Summary: Another gate opens outside of Bruma. The Champion of Cyrodill closes and rescues those who were captured, but Mehrunes Dagon still has plans for them. The hero's tragic story is told and old and new enemies move against him.
1. The Knight

**A Wounded Hero**

**A New Threat**

Arinor did not how long it had been. It felt like three days, three days since that oblivion gate had opened, and three days since the guard of Bruma had been sent in to close it.

It had been fifteen men and five women, and it was a massacre. They had been vastly out numbered and the men had been slaughtered. The women however had been captured. Arinor a high elf and four imperials, Perinel, Syranel, Selena and Ehlana.

_This shouldn't have happened._ Thought Arinor, _The dragonfires had been relit, permanently. There were rumours of a different gate opening in Niben bay, but everything was fine. No deadric invasion._

Now she and her friends were chained up in filthy cells in oblivion. Strangely, they had been well fed and watered.

_What were they planning?_ She thought.

She heard footsteps coming down the corridor; her chains withdrew into the wall pulling her up so she couldn't move.

From the yelps of fear it had happened to her friends in the other cells.

A Deadra stood at the entrance of her cell and the bars raised themselves allowing him access.

He was dressed in a black robe, a mage. He stood before and pressed his hands to her abdomen. They started to glow and Arinor screamed in pain as something forced itself into her through her skin. She tried to cast the magic she once knew so well, but it could not come the food had been drugged.

The mage finished his ritual and stepped back as admiring his handy work. The chains slackened and Arinor fell to the ground. Black spots appeared in her eyes and she heard the screams of her friends as she lost consciousness.

Outside Bruma 

Arias Asriel had many titles, Mad god of the Shivering isles, the Divine Crusader, the Champion of Cyrodill, Master of the Fighters Guild and Arch-Mage. None of which he particularly cared for.

He had been attending to Fighters Guild business in Chorrol when the oblivion gate opened. The dragonfires did not stop gates being made; they stop the deadra stepping through that was what Sheogorath had meant when he said, "No pacts have been broken."

He rode on his armoured white horse into the stable of the snowy town of Bruma. He could see the red glow in the sky of an oblivion gate on the other side of the city.

Clad in the white and silver armour of the Divine Crusader, he followed the wall of Bruma and was met by a weedy teen dressed in the yellow armour of the Bruma guard.

"Stop Sir Knight!" he bellowed trying to sound intimidating.

His efforts were in vain as Arias had faced horrors beyond imagining and this child did not even come up to the high elf's shoulders.

Arias stopped in front of the boy and looked at him for a few moments. Instantly the boy began to quail under the gaze of the faceless helmet. Arias grabbed him by the front of his armour with one arm and yanked him aside.

The boy stumbled and fell face first in the snow. Arias continued walking. The boy regained himself and ran after the elf.

He ran in front of him and bellowed in his loudest voice, "You are under arrest!"

Now however they were with in earshot of the guards patrolling the gate. They instantly recognised the Arias, no one else would willing approach an oblivion gate.

The newly appointed captain, Baird was in the group that went into the gate, approached the boy and yelled, "Out of the mans way whelp!"

"He assaulted me!" said the boy.

"I don't blame him!" barked the captain and the boy backed away.

"My apologies, Milord." He said to Arias.

"What's a kid doing in the guard anyway?" asked Arias his voice emotionless.

"We short handed." Explained the captain as they marched towards the gate, "Captain Baird led fifteen men and five women went into that gate. They haven't come out."

Arias nodded in understanding, it was hard for a commander to lose soldiers.

The other guardsmen saluted Arias; many had fought at the Battle for Bruma.

Arias drew his sword and raised it in salute. He looked at the gate. It was the colour of lava and looked intimidating. Blood coloured claws had risen from the ground around it and the snow had melted.

Arias raised his sword and charged through the gate, into the realm of destruction, the realm of Mehrunes Dagon, the fiery plain of Oblivion.


	2. Rescue

**Rescue**

Smoke filled Arias' lungs, that alone would make most people wretch but he had endured this so many times he was used to it. The sky was red as was everything else and everything was dead.

Except the thirty deadra soldiers guarding the gate. Strewn around them were the stripped and partially eaten bodies of 15 men.

The guards saw him and charged. Far too many to fight, Arias cast an invisibility spell over himself. He stepped passed the deadra searching for him and saw Captain Baird. He had an enormous gash down his front.

Arias uttered a silent pray for him and the other and then moved on. He maintained the invisibility and followed the typical valleys and caves system. He did not have time to fight everything he came across.

Before long he was at the entrance to the tower and here he cut the spell. He flickered back into visibility and stepped inside.

The tower was dark save for the usual geezer of flame in the centre. He cast nighteye and a life-detecting spell. There were two creatures out of view of the door on opposite sides of the door.

Arias sprinted out of the alcove and charged at the creature. A storm atronach. He closed the distance between and leapt ad the creature using both his shield and sword as weapons. He slammed his shield on to the head of the creature stunning it and plunged his sword, down to the hilt into the centre of the beast.

Fire issued from the blade burning the creature, and it fell into a pile of rocks.

The second creature another storm atronach became a whirlwind of rocks and dashed at him. Arias let loose a blast of wizards fury. While the lightning had little affect the fire and ice caused it to stop briefly. Arias savagely slashed across its front and it staggered backwards.

It was not held back for long as it swung it's right fist at him. He received the blow on his shield, which also managed to reflect most of the magic. Enough charge got through to him to make him gasp in pain and the hairs on his body to stand up.

He brought his blade down on the head of the creature and cleaved it in two. The atronach joined it companion as a pile of rocks.

Arias used he door to the right and followed the path up the tower. At the top of the path at the next level, he was met by two mages. Following their custom, they spawned flame atronachs and fled.

Arias hurled his sword at one and killed it instantly. He drew the mace and swung at the atronach. It fell into nothingness from the blow. Arias charged after the mage who sent a ball of fire at him. Arias sidestepped and continued charging. He smashed in the mages face with his mace and it let out a loud gargled cry.

Arias sheathed his mace, collected his sword and continued up the tower.

Arinor heard the cry of the mage from the next level up and the demora guards got ready to fight. She crawled as close to the bars as she could and tried to look at the entrance to hall.

She heard the door creak open and a bolt of lightening struck down the guard in front of her cell. Five other demoras ran towards the attacker and out of sight of the Arinor. She heard lightening being used again, and the cry of a deadra dying. She heard more sounds of metal on metal and the sickening sound of metal striking flesh.

The sounds stopped and she heard footsteps approaching. A tower of a knight stood before her. She was taller than she was and she was a high elf a naturally tall race. His armour was white and silver and his sword was blood stained. Apart from that he showed no sign of the fight he had just been in.

He approached her, his face was hidden by his blank helm and looked at her with black eye slits, it was unnerving.

"Are you one of the women in the Bruma guard?" he asked, his voice soft but powerful.

"Yes." She croaked.

The knight took a few steps and peered in the other cells. He then marched back to the entrance of the hall and Arinor heard the rustle of clothes and jingle of keys.

The bars of her cell raised themselves and rang thunderously through out the tower. The knight returned, sword sheathed and keys in hand. He unlocked her chains and helped her to her feet.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

Arinor nodded and Arias shoved the keys into her hand.

"Release the others. I'll make sure we don't have any unexpected guests."

He ran to the other end of the hall and stood against the wall by the door sword raised.

First Arinor grabbed a mace off the fallen guards and proceeded to the first opened cell. In it was the small but tough form of Syranel. She immediately got to her feet and hugged Arinor.

"Get a weapon." Ordered Arinor.

Syranel nodded and ran of to get a weapon. Arinor unlocked the others and they each grabbed a mace. The only weapons the guards seemed to carry.

The knight was now standing in the open doorway and was searching the room for threats.

He turned to face them and said, "Stay behind me and don't get involved in any brawls unless they get passed me and go or you."

Arinor wanted to object, they were soldier after all but considering this man had defeated six demora on his own, she decided to follow his orders.

The went through the blood coloured rooms and up a path the followed the curve of the tower. At the top was a colossal lizard, brown in colour and larger than the crusader.

"Deadroth!" bellowed the knight, "Stay back!"

The deadroth turned to the sound of his yell and charged forward. The knight let lightening arch from his fingers and it struck the lizard in the chest.

It howled in rage and pain and swung and enormous claw at the knight. He ducked under it and slashed at the arm. Another roar and it swung the other arm. The knight dodged that and hacked at the things shoulder.

Realising swinging was not going to kill the knight, the beat opened it maw and tried to devour the knight. The knight plunged his blade into the head of the creature and dived out of the way as it fell forward.

The women cautiously approached the knight. Saying nothing the knight got up and tore out a tooth of the dead lizard.

He muttered, "The healer can use the money." And put the fang in his belt.

He then pulled out of a gem in the shape of a start and touched it to his sword. Flame rolled up the blade and vanished, as he put the gem back into his belt.

They continued up the tower meeting no resistance, and reached the top level.

The floor was blood red and in the shape of a dome. Flame roared up in the centre and seemed to be flowing into an orb at the top. The knight and the five women went up the teeth like stairs and reached the very top of the tower.

A black orb was absorbing the flame. The knight stepped forward to grab the stone. Before he touched it a shockwave exploded from the ball knocking everyone to the floor.

They pulled themselves back up and the knight said, "OK, that hasn't happened before."

He quickly grabbed the stone and pulled it out. The tower seemed to fade away and where they were too warm from the heat of oblivion, they were now outside and enormous and bizarre tower in the mountains.


	3. Introductions

**Questions and Answers**

Arinor shivered from the bitter cold. The mountains were not kind to the inadequately dress, and the five women were in rags. She stepped towards the tower and tripped over, she recovered her balance and looked to see what she had tripped over.

What she saw made her want to throw up. She had tripped over the stripped over the burnt and mutilated body of one of the guard.

Ehlana saw the bodies and did not have as much control as Arinor and screamed at the sight.

"Inside!" barked the Divine Crusader, indicating to the bizarre tower before them.

The shocked women ran into the tower. They were now in an enormous room in a figure of eight. In the middle of the first room a hand made of ice reached up out of the floor.

In the larger room stood a frost Atronach, large and made entirely of ice.

The knight walked right up to the beast and said," there are fifteen bodies outside, collect them and lay them by the wall I'll be out in a moment."

The ice creature strode out of the room; the knight had just commanded a being from oblivion to do his bidding!

Arias disappeared on a teleported on the left hand side of the room. A few seconds later, he reappeared with what looked like large canvas bundles.

He walked back out of the tower, while the women entered further in.

There were three different colour circles on the floor, two teleporter pads, two bookcases, a table with half a dozen chairs and three alters at the back of the room.

After a few minutes the knight returned with the frost Atronach. He leant his shield against the wall and sagged into one of the chairs.

"Have a seat." He mumbled.

The women gathered the other chairs and sat in a semi circle around. He had not yet removed his armour and from the way he was sitting he looked too exhausted to take it off.

After a few minutes, he did finally reach up and pull off his helm. Arinor recognised instantly that the man was a high elf; he had pointed ears, tanned skin and was much too tall to be any other race. He had long dark hair, which was tied back into a ponytail and his eyes were brown with a penetrating gaze.

"Welcome to my home," he yawned, "Frostcrag Spire. I'm Arias Asriel and, please don't refer to me by any of my titles. They mean little to me."

That surprised Arinor, the things this man had done, he was a legend.

The women introduced themselves modestly; they didn't quite know how to act around him.

"Pleased to meet you." He said, "Although I wish it could be under more cheerful circumstances."

"Excuse me," said Selena timidly, "but when can we go home?"

"When I am sure you have recovered." Answered Arias, "you can catch some nasty things in Oblivion, not to mention any injuries that may have befallen you."

Arinor thought back to when they were in the tower, and that mage had… she had no idea what it had done really.

"But first things first and I mean no offence when saying this, you all need a bath." Said Arias getting up.

He stepped on the teleporter pad nearest them and vanished. A few moments later a metal bathtub appeared on it. The frost atronach walked over to it heaved it up and placed it in the centre of room, then a second appeared, then a third, a fourth until finally a fifth.

Soon afterwards Arias reappeared, carry what looked like, towels, clothes, soap and five silver long swords. He laid them by the baths and spoke to the frost atronach again.

"Take these tubs outside, fill them with snow and bring them back inside." He commanded.

While the beast went following his orders, Arias turned back to the women.

"While I have had many surprise guests, whom I've discovered lost in the mountains, I have rarely had so many so I apologies for the lack of privacy." He explained somewhat nervously.

The atronach completed its task and stood in the centre of the entrance room facing the door.

Arias went to each of the baths and hurled a fireball into each, turning the contents from freezing snow to hot water.

"I'll be upstairs, if you need anything." Said Arias, "Keep those swords close."

On these words he disappeared on the other teleporter.

Later that day… 

Clean, dressed and armed Arinor stepped onto the teleporter to fetch Arias. She found him in another round room, sitting at what looked a very expensive alchemy lab.

He turned as he heard her arrive. He had changed into a blue and green outfit with leather boots, strapped across his waist was a strange, black sword. What really interested was what was around his neck. It was a thin gold chain and dangling from it was a diamond ring.

Arias saw where she was looking at and hid the ring inside his shirt.

"I'll get you some food." He said tiredly.

They stepped onto the teleport and returned to the main level where the others were waiting.

Arias disappeared onto the other teleporter, he seemed to Arinor to spend most of his time doing that. She sat down a confused look on her face.

Selena spotted this and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," replied Arinor, "just thinking."

"About our young Lord Crusader." Smirked Perinel.

Arinor sighed, after all they had been through they still wanted to gossip.

"Yes," she replied, "but not in that sense."

Soon he reappeared arms laden with trays of food and wine. They sat down and ate in silence.

When they had finished Selena blurted out, "Arinor said she saw you at the battle for Bruma."

Arias his face impassive sipped his wine and turned to her, "I thought I recognised you, you were the one in that impressive duel with that Deadroth."

Arinor nodded, there were so many at that battle and he remembered her, although it was a very stupid thing to do fight a deadroth on her own even if she did win.

"Did you really kill an ayleid king?" asked Ehlana.

"Two." Answered Arias, "Umriel the unfeathered and the king of Miscarcand."

The women around the table continued to question Arias about his many exploits long into the night. Eventually he retrieved some bedrolls for them.

Arinor woke up to the sound of a metal door opening and a loud but short fight. The frost atronach was dead, and around the body where fifteen men, swords drawn clad in dark red robes.


	4. Horrible Truths

**Horrible Truths**

Arinor looked around desperately, the others were still asleep and Arias was nowhere to be seen.

Silently she reached her sword from where she lay. They were going to be hard pressed if they were going to get out of this

Suddenly Arias appeared in the middle of the room as his invisibility spell ran out. His black sword held loosely in his right hand.

"Leave my home." He said calmly.

"Give us the women." Said one of the hooded men that had come through the door of the tower.

"No." he replied.

"Lord Dagon commands it." Said another member of the Mythic Dawn.

"I do not answer to him." Growled Arias.

"You cannot hope to beat all of us." Sneered another.

"Really?" asked Arias his voice carrying both a threat and a smirk.

"Enough of this! Kill him!" said the leader of the Mythic Dawn.

One of the Mythic Dawn raised his hand and a ball of fire shot out from it. Arias raised his hand high over his head and released what looked like a reflection spell.

The spell struck Arias but had no effect on him, the caster however burst into flame screaming. This awoke the other women by Arinor who immediately grabbed the silver long swords Arias had given them and leapt to their feet. Arinor quickly got to her feet, her sword already in her hand.

"Stay back!" yelled Arias as he cast another spell.

This time it was a summon spell, as a woman in golden armour appeared. She drew her sword and both she and Arias charged at the fourteen members of the Mythic Dawn.

Arias suddenly vanished using an invisibility spell, seconds later he appeared behind a member of the Mythic Dawn and ruthlessly hacked at him.

The golden armoured woman received a blow to her shield then embedded her sword into one of the Mythic Dawn she was fighting. Another member of the cult moved to attack her from behind, but Arias appeared out of thin air again and severed his head from his body.

Arias then sent a bolt of lightening at one of the attackers who went down, but was not dead. The golden armoured woman ruthlessly hacked at another Mythic Dawn across the shins. After that she succumbed to the numbers against them as one of her attackers landed a blow to her back. She faded from sight.

Arias broke away from the fight and backed into the central room, he cast another summon spell and this time a woman in black armour appeared. She immediately sent a ball of fire at one of the attackers, who leapt out of the way only to be killed by a vicious blow from her mace.

Arias charged at the remaining seven Mythic Dawn members along with the new black armoured woman. He fought four while she fought three.

Arias blocked a blow to his head and kicked one of his attackers in the groin. He then slashed at all of his attackers, two of which managed to jump back from, the remaining one received a lethal blow to the chest.

The black armoured woman slammed her shield into one of her attackers throwing him onto his back. She hit another one in the gut with her mace, but her last attacker hacked at her calves bring her down, while her first attacker recovered and he plunged his blade into her. She to faded from view.

Arias plunged his sword into the man he had kicked in the groin then leapt away from the fight and cast another summon spell.

The first two things he summoned were at least aesthetically pleasing, the last one was not. It looked like a giant human except parts of him were glowing. Now it was Arias and the bizarre glowing giant against four remaining members of the Mythic Dawn.

The giant swung his hand at one of the Mythic Dawn who stabbed his palm with its sword, this seemed only to anger the giant who continued to hit him unfazed.

Arias hacked at one of the Mythic Dawn, who managed to block the blow. Arias forced his hilt past his guard and struck him in the head. The cult member staggered back and Arias stabbed him through the heart.

The last two now realised they could not win, and made a dash for the door. One of them was picked up and crushed by the giant and a fireball from Arias killed the other.

The giant faded from view and Arias was left their panting. The women just stood their mouths open in shock at the fight they had just seen.

A few seconds later they heard a groan, one of the Mythic Dawn wasn't dead. The one Arias had hit with lightening, was lying slumped against the wall.

Arias ran over to him and put his sword under the chin of the man.

"What does Dagon want with them?" he snarled.

"I shall never tell you." Spat the cult member.

"Then I will kill you." Said Arias emotionlessly.

"And I will end up in paradise." Sniggered the cult member.

Arias then pulled out something from his belt, a star.

"This is Azura's Star. And this," Explained Arias to the cult member whilst pressing his blade against the mans throat, "is Umbra. If I kill you with this, you'll end up in a soul gem not in paradise."

The man stiffened but remained silent.

"Fine." Said Arias raising his sword to kill.

"WAIT!" cried the man, "THEY CARRY THE CHILDREN OF DAGON!"

Arias staggered back as if he had been struck a physical blow. After a few minutes he cast what Arinor recognised as a life sensing spell and faced the women.

Arinor saw his eyes widen, as his gaze focused on their abdomens, it was true. That was what those deadra had done.

The cult member spoke again, "They will bring forth the new age, and you can't st-"

They never learned what they couldn't do as Arias hacked the man across the chest with the Umbra.


	5. A Few More Details

A Few More Details

**A Few More Details**

Arinor woke up drowsily the next morning; needless to say she hadn't slept well last night. She got the feeling Arias had not slept at all last night.

As the women had tried to get at least some sleep, he sat at the table and pulled down about ten books. Arinel got off the floor, and saw that the bookcases had been stripped and the books lay strewn across the floor and Arias still had his nose in a book.

"Did you stay up all night?" she asked walking over to him.

He looked up from his book, "Is it morning?"

"Yes," replied Arinor.

"Then yes I have." He replied absent-mindedly.

"That isn't the healthiest habit to get into."

Arias shrugged in response before saying, "I'll get you some food."

As he got up, the chain around his neck came out from his shirt and Arinor again spotted the diamond ring again. Arias however quickly tucked it back into his shirt.

He disappeared on the teleporter and a few minutes later reappeared with a plate of fresh fruit.

He put the plate on the table and continued reading.

When she had finished eating, she had very little to think about except what had happened last night. She was pregnant with some deadra, it made her want to throw up.

Desperate for something else to think about, she proverbially put her foot in it, "Are you married?"

Arias Asriel's only response was, "No."

He said this with out even looking up from the book.

"May ask the importance of that ring?" asked Arinor.

"No." Replied Arias, his voice had an under current of being frustrated.

Arinor needed something to do but could tell this subject would only anger the knight before her, so she changed the subject.

"Can I help?"

"Only if you understand the higher principles of magic."

"Well I was a Master-Witch."

This made Arias look up from his book, "You were? I haven't seen you at the university."

"Traven and I both vied to be Arch Mage, he was more friendly with the last Arch Mage than I. We had a rather explosive disagreement, so I left."

"Ah," replied Arias awkwardly, momentarily putting his book down, "Would you, like to join again? We need someone to manage the reconstructed Bruma mage hall."

"Not yet." Said Arinor with a smile, "but thank you for the offer."

Arias the proceeded to pick up his book again, while Arinor picked up another. This quiet did not continue for long as Arias eventually slammed his book down.

"There's nothing here of use here!" he exclaimed.

Arinor put her own book down and looked at him calmly before saying, "Then think of somewhere it might be."

Arias sighed and sat down, they then heard the sound of the other women waking.

Drowsily they got up and sat round the table, muttering "good morning" like it was a death sentence.

Arias left to prepare them some breakfast, but appeared without food and clad in the robes of the Arch-Mage, with a large staff slung across his back.

"We will be eating at the Arcane University." He announced.

"But," said Ehlana, "That's miles away."

"This tower has some very interesting features." Replied Arias mysteriously extending his hand to Arinor, "come."

The women got up and Arinor took Arias by the hand, he led her onto the teleporter on the right side of the tower and they appeared on the upper level of the tower.

A few moments later the other women followed up and they stepped out onto the balcony. This balcony had about a dozen teleporter pads on it in a semi-circle.

"These pads lead to every guild hall in Cyrodill." Explained Arias, "Only step on the middle one otherwise you could end up in any city and the Mythic dawn will get to you."

The women nodded and the five of them stepped onto the centre teleporter, closely followed by Arias.

The Arcane Universities enormous white tower stood erect before them. Various mages were wandering about on various tasks.

"Ah, Arch-Mage." Said a deep voice, "you have returned."

Arinor turned in the direction of the voice and was met with her old student, Raminus Polus.

"Yes I have Raminus," smiled Arias, "find these women some places to sleep and I would like to reinstate Lady Arinor here.

"Lady Arinor?" asked Raminus looking around his eyes locking onto Arinor, "Master? You've returned?"

"Yes. It's good to be back." She replied smiling.

"It's, it's good to have you back." He said cheerfully, "I'll make the arrangements Arch-Mage, don't worry."

On these words he hurried off to the central tower.

The other women followed him, but Arias and Arinor began to search through the many books of the Arcane University.


End file.
